Notes on a scandal door Zoë Heller

Summary of the Book.
The story is about a pottery teacher named Sheba. Her full name is Bathseba Hart, but in the novel, everybody calls her Sheba. The story is written from the perspective of Barbara Covett, who is a humdrum history teacher at the same school. Barbara doesn’t have a husband and children and she is very lonely. When Sheba started to work at the same school Barbara felt like they became good friends. Sheba has two children, a 17-year-old daughter named Polly and an 11-year old son, Ben, who has Down Syndrome. Sheba and Barbara become very good friends. When Barbara invited Sheba for dinner Sheba told her the story of her affair with Steven Conolly. She didn’t tell the whole story, she said only that the boy tried to kiss her. Barbara gave her some advice and believed the affair to be over. When Barbara found out that Sheba and Conolly still have a romantic relationship she felt betrayed and she wanted to take revenge. When she confronted Sheba with the truth Sheba admitted the affair with Conolly. Then the mathematics teacher, Brian Bangs, asked Barbara to go out to lunch on Saturday. Barbara agreed with it but she knew that Bangs had an ulterior motive. Bangs was in love with Sheba and tried to get some private information of Barbara. She was very angry indeed and decieded to set her revenge into motion. She dropped some hints to Bangs, hints about Sheba, hints that insinuated that Sheba liked younger men as well as hints about her close relationships with the Year Eleven boys. Soon the headmaster learned of Sheba's illict affairs. Sheba was suspended from her job and as was questioned by the police regarding her affair with Steven Conolly. Sheba and Barbara left their houses and went to Eddie’s house. Sheba found Barbara’s diary, from which this story is told, and became angry she said that it was all lies. In the end, Sheba and Barbara became best friends again. I don’t know what happened with Sheba’s husband Richard, her trial, daughter, etc..

Explain the title
The meaning from the title “Notes on a scandal” is simple. The scandal is Sheba’s affair with one of her pupils and the notes come from Barbara’s diary.

I think a better title is “Teacher vs. Pupil,” because that title is more humorous and a little more mysterious. This would make a book more attractive because I think a book is more attractive with an amusing title.

My opinion
I think the novel was very boring. It was very hard to read because the whole book consists of boring, long-winded descriptions. The story is much better when it is written with a normal third person perspective. I don’t like books written as a diary.

The story was creepy. Sheba is forty-one years old and Connolly is only fifteen years old and they have a romantic relationship. I think it is good that Sheba is going to be punished for her crume. She deserves it because she is pedophile. I think Barbara is an evil person because her aim is to make Sheba dependent on her

Description of the main characters.
I describe Barbara and Sheba because they are the most important characters in this novel.

Barbara
Barbara is a lonely woman. She is unmarried and wants to become good friends with anyone. She is a little bit older than Sheba. She is very dominant and she expects too much from her friends. She doesn’t have good friends because of these bad qualities. Barbara is also very underhanded. She wants Sheba to become dependent on her, so she behaves as “good friend.” She is obsessed by Sheba and wants to become very good friends. A quotation that proves her sneaky personality is that she is looking into Sheba’s bag. “I had no intention…back in her bag.” Page 168-169.

Sheba
Sheba is a shameless, candid, friendly woman. If she didn't have an affair with one of her pupils I would think that she is a good person. She is very candid because she told Barbara about her deepest secrets. Barbara described a little story about Sheba when she was a younger girl. “I don’t say much…coffee and a KitKat.” Page 2-3.

6b
I’ve learned from this novel that you don’t have to trust everybody. Sometimes there are people who make friends only to get something out of it as opposed to the normal give and take that is part of a good friendship. In my opinion the most important rule in friendship is that you have to give more than you take.

I think you have to be careful when you make friends because you never know the intentions of your new friend.